ST. CHARLES, MO. - The Lindenwood women's basketball team will be heading to Las Vegas, Nevada to compete in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic from December 19-21 to round out their inaugural Division I non-conference slate. 

The Lions are coming off their first win of the year, which happened Wednesday with an impressive 96-36 win over the Hannibal-LaGrange Trojans at home in Hyland Arena. The Lions saw minutes and points from every single healthy girl in this game, with baskets coming from 10 different Lindenwood players, and five of those players hitting the double digit mark. Emily Benzschawel executed another team-leading performance on offense, recording 19 total points off the bench and shooting 7-9 from the floor and 5-7 from outside the arc. 

Right behind her on the leaderboard was graduate transfer Masyn McWilliams, who downed six of her eight field goal attempts, shooting a strong 75% from the floor and a perfect 2-2 on her three-point attempts. McWilliams also led the team in rebounds with seven total on the night while also adding a team-leading four assists and two steals to her stats. Mary McGrath recorded the highest efficiency (25.0) against the Trojans in her 13-point effort. The sophomore standout drained four of her five field goal attempts and had four rebounds, one assist and one steal as well, making for another well-rounded performance. 

As a team, the Lions shot an impressive 61.7% from the floor, as well as 50% from the three point line and a perfect 100% by draining all 10 of their free throw attempts versus the visiting Trojans. Lindenwood will be looking to generate their first win-streak of the season with this mid-week showdown, as they'll take on Cleveland State on Monday and Utah Tech on Wednesday. 

The Cleveland State Vikings currently hold a 9-1 record on the year, with their only loss coming from the No. 8 Iowa State Cyclones back on November 7 in which the Big 12 powerhouse handed the Vikings an 87-54 loss. Since then, Cleveland State has secured nothing but wins, with their most recent win being a 76-58 win over Akron on Sunday, December 11.
 
As a whole, the Vikings average 72.8 points per game so far this season, shooting a cumulative 41.9% field goal and 33.3% three point percentage. The Lions' 40.6% field goal and 33.5% three point percentages stack up pretty well, but their points per game average sits at a 57.3 in their nine games played so far.

Junior Destiny Leo leads the Vikings in the points per game category, as she has recorded an average of 17.9 so far this year. Cleveland State's leading rebounder is senior forward Amele Ngwafang, who averages 9.0 per game. 

Lindenwood will then take on the Utah Tech Trailblazers on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. CST. This will also be a brand new opponent for the Lions, much like many teams they will see this season. 

The Trailblazers boast a 7-2 record so far this year, most recently coming off a tight 69-65 victory over the Weber State Wildcats yesterday (December 17). Utah Tech is led by senior Breaunna Gillen, who averages is an impressive 20.4 points per game. Gillen has started 9-9 games this year, being a key component in her team's success this year. Sophomore Averi Papa is currently the leading rebounder for the Trailblazers, averaging 9.0 boards per game.

For more information regarding this week's tournament, head to 2022-23 Women's Basketball Schedule - Lindenwood University Athletics.